Action!
by Mika2013
Summary: Ellie is the Production Assistant of the best Producer at Black Cat Productions! Things get complicated for her though when she meets the Director for the next movie she is working on.


Chapter 1

The blaring alarm was the last thing Ellie wanted to hear at six in the morning. Being rudely awakened from a wonderful dream about a handsome stranger always sucked. Any other day she would have hit snooze and just gone to work looking like she had just gotten out of bed. Today was not a day to be less than spectacular though. Her boss expected nothing less than perfection on the first day of a new project. Ellie had no plans to start testing Caroline's lower limits of perfection today.

Ellie opened her closet to find an outfit and was almost immediately disappointed. "Hazel!" Ellie yelled as she stumbled down the hall towards the bathroom, "I need you to dress me!"

Hazel wandered out of her studio, already fully dressed and done up for the day. She examined Ellie for a second with her keen stylist eye. "What's the movie about again?" she asked.

"Two girls who just graduated high school traveling through Europe," Ellie said with displeasure, sure she was going to dislike the end result.

"Be sure to shave your legs and don't wash your hair," Hazel said, going back into her studio.

Ellie did as she was told. She emerged from the bathroom and Hazel immediately began ordering her around.

"Vanity," she instructed, as she laid an adorable dress out on Ellie's bed. It had short sleeves, and was fitted from the bust to the hips, where it flowed down to the knees. It was white with black trim, and was going to look amazing with the wedges Hazel was pulling out of Ellie's closet.

"This is the newest addition to my line, so if you spill anything on it or cause it any permanent damage I will tear your arms off" Hazel said, with a sweet smile on her face that completely contradicted her words.

"You are my savior" Ellie told Hazel, who then started braiding her hair in a twist. As she was melting beneath the heavenly feeling of someone playing with her hair she asked, "Hey, do you want to meet for lunch at that one pub? What's it called again?"

"The Bird in Hand? Nah that seems a bit heavy for lunch. How about that new sandwich shop that just opened up. It's only two blocks from where you work."

"Well yeah, but wouldn't you be away from your shop for too long?" Ellie asked, always worried about the success of her roommate's business.

"I'm the owner, I can do whatever I want," Hazel replied. "Besides, the girls can handle it by themselves for an hour or two" she added, smiling fondly at the thought of her two hard-working employees, Jill and Veronica.

"Ok, sounds like a plan," Ellie conceded as Hazel started working on her make up.

Ellie always got a little stressed out at the beginning of a project, mostly because of her demanding boss. Hazel was probably the only person who could keep her grounded. Ellie found Hazel through an online add while looking for a roommate three years prior. What normally could have turned out terribly was a blessing to Ellie, who found the big sister figure she had always craved. Once she was ready, she and Hazel jumped in the car and headed towards Black Cat Productions.

"Now remember Ellie…" Hazel began, but Ellie cut her off.

"Because of my contract Caroline can't fire me without good reason, she can't force me to do anything illegal, and she can't kill me," Ellie recited, having heard this speech numerous times over their three years living together.

"Also…" Hazel prompted.

"Control my breathing, and trust my training." Ellie finished.

"And never go up against a Sicilian when death is on the line." Hazel added, quoting their favorite girls night movie. "Sorry, I just wanted to feel like I was giving you some kind of helpful words of wisdom," she said through both girls laughter.

"Well, it definitely brightened my mood. Thanks doll." Ellie said, wondering how she could have handled her move to San Francisco without her. "Can you drop me off at the coffee shop on the corner? Caroline can be a real bitch when she doesn't get her morning coffee, and I'm not much better. And God forbid she ever goes to get her own coffee…" Ellie ranted.

"Here we are!" Hazel declared loudly and sweetly, cutting Ellie off mid-rant. "Good luck making a movie darling. And don't throw hot coffee at your boss please." Hazel teased as Ellie got out of the car.

"Awe man, I wasn't thinking it before you said it," Ellie joked before closing the door to the car. The Starbucks was thankfully not busy when she ordered, but the line grew exponentially within a minute of her paying. She didn't want to get her hopes up too much, but this looked like the start of a good day.

She exited the Starbucks and walked the block and a half north, holding the drinks away from her body so she could avoid any accidental splatter onto Hazel's newest creation. When she reached the glass doors to the building she looked through to check the clock behind reception. She was so happy to see that she was ten minutes early that she didn't notice the person on the other side of the door.

As she pushed the door open with her hip, it was abruptly stopped by a very solid mass that was on the other side of it. The impact caused her to jostle her coffee, spilling it on her hand and the object behind the door. She whimpered in pain from the heat of the burning liquid, then glanced around the door to see what was blocking her way. When she saw what it was, she immediately froze in horror.

On the other side of the door was the most beautiful human being Ellie had ever laid eyes on. He was at least six inches taller than Ellie, and she was already five foot, nine inches. He had a chiseled face, dark brown, almost black, hair that fell into his eyes and… _Oh, those eyes._ They were a really strange, beautiful blue, like the color of a really deep ocean.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" Ellie exclaimed as she recovered her senses, tossing her basically empty coffee cup into the trash can by the door. She started taking extra care with Caroline's thankfully still intact drink. "Here, I think I have some napkins in my purse…"

"Don't worry about it," the beautiful stranger said in a voice that made Ellie's heart skip a beat. "My jacket got the worst of it. You might want to get that hand of yours under some cold water though." His words reminded Ellie of the pain in her hand, then the coffee she still needed to get to Caroline.

The look of panic on Ellie's face must have alerted him to her situation. "Why don't you get going? You must have been in enough of a hurry to begin with."

"Thank you" Ellie said, walking backwards towards the elevator. "I'll pay to get your jacket cleaned, just hunt me down when you get the chance." As she walked into the elevator she added "You can usually find me in Caroline Vaughn's office." Then the doors closed. Ellie leaned against the back wall and sighed as the elevator rose to her floor. _That is definitely going to be the most embarrassing moment of my week._

The elevator opened on her floor, and Ellie took off towards Caroline's office. With two minutes to go, Ellie placed the coffee on Caroline's desk, then quickly grabbed some ice from the mini bar Caroline had in the corner of her office that was behind the door. She began sorting mail one handed while she used her stomach to hold the ice against her hand. Right at the stroke of eight, Caroline entered her office and began barking orders.

"Alright, I'm going to need you to set up the production meeting for 3, and then start setting up my schedule through production. I plan to be present during the filming of all the key scenes, but I also plan to have shopping scheduled into every leg of the trip so I can keep my international collection up to date. Also, Gwen and Olivia are here, so anything they want, make it happen." The fact that she stopped talking and was now going through the mail Ellie had sorted was a sign she was dismissed.

Ellie was actually shocked that Caroline gave her so few and such simple tasks, but she wasn't about to complain. After getting lists of all the people involved in the project and their departments, she hunted down some of the more fortunate looking male interns who were around the office for general use.

"Ok boys, today is your lucky day," Ellie informed them, while leading them to the VIP section to the building (top floor, west side, facing a beautiful view of the Pacific). "You are in charge of keeping two very important young ladies entertained and sober until three. If they want to go anywhere, drive them. If they want to stay up here and watch a movie, let them cuddle up to you. Here are some car keys," she said handing them each a set. "These are to company cars, which are on the third level of the garage. They are only to be used if you are escorting one of these young ladies, understood?" The guys look like they weren't quite sure what they were getting thrown into, but they both nodded anyways.

"Listen," Ellie began, because what she was about to say was more important than the spew she just gave them. "These girls will do anything to avoid the more boring parts of their jobs, so it is extremely important that you make sure they are in the meeting room down the hall by three o' clock sharp. If they aren't, I'm the one in trouble, and I can make your lives miserable here if that happens. Is that clear?" Both young men nodded, obviously a little worried by Ellie's words. "Good. Well, here we go," she said, throwing open the VIP room doors and plastering a smile on her face.

The interns both gaped when they realized that the young ladies they were about to babysit were none other than Olivia Fairchild and Gwen Michaels. Both had risen to stardom fairly recently thanks to Caroline, and appeared to be leading in this film because of her as well.

"Gwen, Olivia!" Ellie greeted, having work with both ladies on past projects of Caroline's. "How good to see you both again!" She added the again to the end to remind them that they had worked together before. If either of them remembered, Ellie would have been surprised.

"Why hello again!" Olivia tried, omitting Ellie's obviously forgotten name.

"Yeah, hey Lilly." Gwen at least attempted.

"It's Ellie actually," Ellie corrected, fake smile still in place. "I just wanted to say welcome back to Black Cat Productions! If there is anything you need…" she quickly glanced at the guy's name badges, "just feel free to ask Brendan or Jake," she finished, motioning to the two boys behind her.

"I also wanted to let you know that we will be having a production meeting at 3, so try to stay near the offices until then."

Ellie was happy to see that the girls were eyeing Brendan and Jake with some interest. _At least it hasn't been so long since I've dated properly that I forgot what an attractive man looks like_ she mentally joked with herself. The thought reminded her of the man at the door this morning. _No, I definitely haven't forgotten_ she thought, those beautiful eyes at the forefront of her mind.

"Have a good day ladies," Ellie said, winking at the guys as she left. She quickly made her way back to her kinda-office, which was really just a computer in a corner of the waiting room to Caroline's office. The way Caroline used Ellie, one would be amazed that she wasn't her secretary, but that job fell to Sharon, who had her hands full handling Caroline's in office public events and appointments. Ellie was used solely for the production part of the project, especially if anything involved travel.

Once Ellie was at her desk, she sent a message to all the production assistants in the different departments about the meeting in the afternoon. She knew none of them would try to reschedule because Caroline's word is law. It's such common knowledge, she was shocked when the director's assistant replied that the director would be there, but at least ten minutes late. Apparently he had a prior engagement that ended at three.

 _That's ballsy of anyone to do, even if this director is new._ The director, Connor something had three movies that were critically acclaimed, which was amazing for someone his age. Somehow, despite her job in the movie business, she had never seen a picture of him. _He's probably pale, scrawny, and has glasses from doing nothing but sitting in front of a monitor all day._

Ellie decided to take a long lunch because she couldn't really plan Caroline's trip until after the meeting. With an hour and a half until she was supposed to meet Hazel, Ellie decided a mani-pedi was in order since her nails looked atrocious. Once that was done, she walked to the sandwich shop called Sammiches. It was pretty busy because it was still relatively new, so she got in line, knowing it would take a while. Luckily, Hazel walked in the door when Ellie was third in line.

"I have wonderful news, and because I'm in such a good mood, lunch is on me today," Hazel said in lieu of a greeting.

"Awesome, then I can tell you about the most embarrassing moment of my life that happened this morning" Ellie said with mock excitement.

"Oh goodie," Hazel teased. Once they placed their orders they took their number and chose a table near the back.

"So let's hear this good news," Ellie began.

"No way," Hazel interrupted. "Tell me your embarrassing story first so you can forget all about it after I tell you my amazing news!"

"Ha ha, ok ok." Ellie responded. "Well I came really close to spilling coffee on your new outfit…" Hazel almost choked on her drink. After Hazel calmed down and confirmed that the outfit was still in perfect condition, Ellie related her run-in with the most attractive man on the face of the planet. "… then I told him he could send me the cleaning bill, and I ran off without even getting his name!" Ellie let out an exasperated sigh and placed her head on the table.

"Don't be like that doll. If you see him again you'll have a great story to tell the grandkids." Hazel laughed at Ellie's state or a few seconds until their food was dropped off.

Realizing how hungry she was, Ellie took a big bite of her sandwich, and after she swallowed asked "So what is this _amazing_ news I know you're dying to tell me?"

Hazel clapped her hands together and with a huge smile on her face said "My clothes are going to be featured in a fashion show in New York!"

"Oh my goodness, congratulations!" Ellie exclaimed. The whole time they had lived together, Ellie had seen Hazel's business slowly grow, from an at home custom dress maker, to a small shop with small quantities of a wide variety of clothing, from sun dresses to bridal gowns. She currently has the store and an online extension of the store that has been gaining popularity over the past six months.

"I know, it's amazing, right!?" Hazel exclaimed. "Now I'm going to have to set up a portfolio to send in so they can make a program…" Hazel hinted.

"Ah, so let me guess, you need a model for some of the pictures, right?"

"Thank you dear!" Hazel said, knowing that was Ellie's way of saying yes. "You're next day off I'm going to have you, Jill and Veronica pose in basically all the clothes I already have that are in your sizes. My clothes that I still have to make or don't have in the right sizes… well, I'm going to have to make them in your size because you are the most easily accessible doll in my collection. I knew I kept you as a roommate for a reason."

The girls finished their lunch, all the while discussing when they'll have to have their photo shoots, and the evening gowns Hazel would have to finish before the show.

"I just can't wait for someone to buy my line and start making all the clothes I design for me!" Hazel checked the time. "Oh my goodness, is it one thirty already? I should probably get back to the store."

"And I should probably go get Caroline set up for the big meeting!" Ellie said with mock enthusiasm. "So what would you like me to make you for dinner? It is a night to celebrate after all!" Ellie said over her shoulder as she led the way toward the front of the restaurant.

"Um… would it be too much to ask for lasagna?" Hazel asked, never wanting to put anyone through too much trouble.

"Not at all! We just need to pick up some wine and beef on the way home." Ellie replied, pushing open the door. The door opened way faster than she expected though, and Ellie lost her balance, landing on something quite solid outside the door. It took Ellie a second to realize that the something was a someone who had apparently pulled the door open at the same time she had pushed it. "Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry…" Ellie said as she looked up into a pair of familiar ocean blue eyes, "…again" she added slightly breathless. As a look of recognition appeared on his face he let out a chuckle that sounded like music to Ellie's ears.

"We don't appear to be having the best of luck with doors today," he said.

"Yeah, apparently not" she said, still having trouble remembering how to breathe.

"Well, I would like to stay and chat, but this time I'm the one in a hurry. See ya later," he said with and wink, and walked past Ellie into the restaurant.

"Who was that?" Hazel asked, joining a slightly shell shocked Ellie outside. "He was cute!"

"That was the guy I spilled coffee on this morning," Ellie said, hiding her blushing face in her hands.

"The stories for the grandkids are just piling up, aren't they?" Hazel teased one last time. "I'll pick you up at five doll" Hazel said as she headed towards her car.

"Yeah, see you then," Ellie said. She stopped to take a deep breath, then she headed back to the office. She headed to the kitchen and with the help of 3 guys, carried 4 packs of water bottles up to the presentation room and set them out on a table near the door. Then she went to a computer in the corner and set up the projector so that whenever Caroline gave her the presentation she could just open it up and have it ready. As she was finishing up, people started trickling in.

As it got closer to three, Ellie was starting to worry about her choice in actress babysitters. She was pleasantly surprised when Gwen and Olivia walked in, apparently gossiping about something, at 2:55. At 2:58, Caroline walked in and handed Ellie a flash drive which she plugged in, loading up the only file. Once it was set up, Ellie handed Caroline a remote so she could control the slides, and took a seat at the end of the first row, closest to the door.

"Good afternoon everyone, and congratulations on being chosen to work on this project…" She then went on to give a brief summary of the movie, and went over who the heads of all the departments were. Ellie didn't really care because she already knew most of this information. She was very close to being completely zoned out, when the door to her right opened and in walked Mr. Blue-Eyes.

Ellie found herself frozen and again experienced trouble breathing when they made eye contact and he shot her a small smile. The next words she heard just about made her heart stop.

"Ah, and for those of you who don't know, I'd like to introduce you to our director, Connor O'Shea!" and Mr. Blue-Eyes joined Caroline at the front of the room, smiled, and waved to the crowd.

 **Authors Note:**

 **Hello Everyone! This is my first story, but my second attempt at posting it. My first attempt was while I was still in college, and I learned that's not the best time to try to be a writer, especially if you're going to engineering school. Since this is my first story, I would be so grateful for any input anyone has.**

 **On another note, I know nothing about the fashion industry, the film industry, or San Francisco. So if anyone has any advice to give me on any of those subjects, I would love to get some feedback! I'm going to write my story making up stuff as I go, but after I'm done and do more research I plan to edit my story accordingly. I plan to update again soon, which for me is honestly probably going to be about a month. The more feed back I get though, the more inspired I'll be to stay on top of it.**

 **I hope you enjoyed!**


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